3 Ways to Add Fitness to Your Day

For anyone looking to get into shape for the first time or after a long break, it can be hard to decide exactly where to start. Many seem to think you need to jump right into an extreme fitness program to get any sort of results. The truth is, anything that gets you moving more than you currently are is a great way to get started. Your focus shouldn’t be around weight and inches but more towards improving your actual fitness levels. True results lie in finding something that keeps you moving and you enjoy doing. If you don’t love doing it, you won’t be consistent. The important thing is that you keep building on your fitness, the weight loss will eventually follow.

Walking. When the weather is right, lace up some comfortable shoes and head outdoors. There is no need to jump from the couch and start running. Walking can be a great way to get your heart rate up and get some fresh air. You can choose to walk around the block or find a local nature trail. Walking is more fun with company, so grab a couple friends and just start walking! Talking with them will help keep your mind off of how far you have walked and make the time fly. It will also be good to have time set aside that you and your friends can talk.

If you are stuck indoors because the weather isn’t ideal for a walk, check out the various walking workouts found on YouTube (I know it might sound weird, but they are out there!). At first you may feel that walking in place may be boring or look silly. Actually, these workouts allow you to step in different directions which work other muscle groups that don’t get as much attention during regular outdoor walks.

Dance. Look at any dancer's body and it’s evident that moving your body to music is a great way to get in shape. There are plenty of dance workout programs, such as Cize and Country Heat from Beachbody that are great to get newbies grooving. If you are bit more of the freestyle type, turn on your favorite tunes and just dance. Anything that gets your heart rate up will start to torch the calories.

Find a sport. You don’t have to choose an extremely strenuous sport like football or basketball. Other options like swimming, frisbee, or golf can be an effective workout. Spring and summer activities can get everyone out of the house and don’t take tons of energy to do yet still help you burn those calories. Even seemingly simple games like bean bag toss and horseshoes can be fun activities. For those with large amounts of excess weight, this could be very doable activities that are safe and yet enough of a workout to get started.

There really is no wrong way to exercise. Any activity that gets you moving, even if it isn’t fast paced, will help your heart heath and add to your fitness levels. Finding friends that will do these activities with you can keep you accountable and add to the fun.

I would love to hear about any activities you do that help you improve your fitness levels!